Something completely different ~ a cake in a cup!

Apparently, according to one national newspaper here in the UK, this recipe for the Five Minute Mug Cake is doing the rounds on the Internet. We were talking about it at the end of school yesterday, does it really work, will all the ingredients actually fit into the average sized mug?

With a copy of the newspaper article in hand I made a diversion on the way home to get the ingredients I didn't have, I was going to give it a go. After all I am a scientist!

Here is the recipe.
4tbsp (tablespoons) of flour, I used self-raising
4tbsp sugar (caster)
2tbsp cocoa powder
Mix the dry ingredients in a mug.
Stir in an egg, I beat mine first, and 3tbsp each of milk and oil.
Then add a few drops of vanilla extract and some chocolate chips.
Make sure all the ingredients are fully mixed. If you use a mug ensure you get all the flour off the bottom and out of the 'corners' where the base meets the sides

Place the mug, uncovered, in a microwave and cook on high (1000W) for three minutes. My microwave is a 850W one so I cooked mine for three and a half to four minutes. I also checked it was cooked by using a skewer as you would with any normal cake. Let it cool, then tip out on to a plate.


In answer to the original question, yes it does work. The cake has the texture of a muffin or cup cake, funny that, and it tastes fine.

The answer to the second question? The cake above was done using an over large tea cup, holding about a pint of fluid, my first attempt was done in a standard UK mug. See for yourself.


Have fun!